Winter Chocolate
by sevenfivetwo
Summary: At first, Haruka wasn't particularly interested in the local paper boy. He was convinced he was just some kid around his age who liked to deliver the newspaper at early hours. And yet, he found him captivating, radiant with bliss and kissed by the sun, smiling all the time. Who was this paper boy? It was Rin Matsuoka. Childhood one-shot of Haruka/Rin!


"Winter Chocolate"

By sevenfivetwo

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**Summary:** At first, Haruka wasn't particularly interested in the local paper boy. He was convinced he was just some kid around his age who liked to deliver the newspaper at early hours. And yet, he found him captivating, radiant with bliss and kissed by the sun, smiling all the time. Who was this paper boy? It was Rin Matsuoka. Childhood one-shot of Haruka/Rin!

**Caution:** Because this is supposed to be fluffy and lighthearted, this story isn't overwhelmingly gay and shouldn't catch anyone off guard. My intention is simply to share a cute story. In fact, if you want, you can read this and recognize it as a very intimate friendship. My only warning is that this was written to be perceived as gay, homosexual, homoerotic, shounen-ai, or yaoi. Basically, I meant this to be gay, but the signs are weak, so —_ it's straight if you try hard enough_.

**Disclaimer:** _Free! Iwatobi Swim Club_ does not belong to me. It belongs to Hiroko Utsumi and Kyoto Animation, respectively.

**Setting:** This is from Haruka's perspective, looking back at the past and reflecting on it. It's wistful and nostalgic. His recollections are centered on a certain someone, this adorable person he's known since childhood. However, this was during the time they didn't know each other yet, before Rin introduced himself in class.

**A/N:** Just a little bit of fluff for the underappreciated Haruka/Rin couple! This story was actually inspired by my psychology teacher, who's easily distracted and spends the entirety of the class hour telling stories, when she told us about her crush on a paper boy. Of course, she grew up in a different generation, so her tales of youth and childhood were from years ago, which are difficult to relate to now in the modern age. Regardless, one of them was about her swooning over the paper boy. And it caught my interest. Long story short, you'll be reading a similar, written, altered version of that story. Hopefully it'll be as sweet as she told it.

Enjoy, my beloved readers, and I hope you like it!

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Haruka was never fascinated with much aside from his obsession with water. Even in his childhood, he remembered his grandmother showing him events off the newspaper, but they were never captivating to him. Had the paper mentioned pools or swimming, perhaps he would have been mildly interested, but it only covered mundane news circulating around the neighborhood. And even the news they covered was dull. The paper was always filled with boring notifications that could be found on bulletins across town. Considering they were such a small town, the newspaper wasn't even necessary. The constant buzz of gossips and rumors rendered the newspaper useless, passing information worth celebrating or grieving over through much simpler means of communication.

Nevertheless, one day, the newspaper was delivered to their house. Apparently some motivated kid had offered to be the paper boy. Of course, at the time, Haruka didn't know who this kid was and he couldn't care less, but now that he thought about it, it had been Rin Matsuoka when he was a child. At that age, Rin was radiant with bliss, kissed by the sun and blessed with gorgeous eyes, smiling all the time.

At first, Haruka wasn't particularly interested in this kid. He was convinced that he was just some go-getter around his age who liked to deliver pointless newspapers at early hours. However, it somehow became a habit of his to wake up as soon as he heard the sound of those familiar tires squeaking on pavement. Without fail, he always woke up to this unanticipated alarm clock, listening to the shuffle of dirt and gravel beneath Rin's shoes as he approached his house. This bizarre habit started one Sunday morning, which was the day Rin typically received payment for his daily deliveries.

"Newspaper delivery!"

His grandmother always answered the door and attended to the paper boy, giving him a warm smile. Meanwhile, distant and quiet, Haruka observed from behind his window, watching the kid smile back joyfully. They exchanged a few words, which were hard to distinguish from where Haruka stood, and made casual small talk. Laughing and giggling, Rin flashed a sweet smile, his eyelashes fluttering and brushing against the surface of his cheeks. He wore an appealing face, such an adorable expression of delight, framed by rose-colored tresses that gave the impression of silk ruby.

Haruka felt his heart suddenly skip a beat, for some reason.

This nameless paper boy came every day around the same time. Eager and jolly, he began the tedious job in the summer and continued delivering the paper through the following seasons, no matter how awful the weather was. He dressed appropriately for changes in climate, especially careful with the newspapers sitting in his bike basket. Of course, the drastic weather conditions never stopped him from completing his task, which always kept Haruka in suspense, watching him vigilantly from the window whenever a storm brewed in the previous night.

Despite that, Rin smiled through rain, sleet, snow, and hail. He arrived when it was windy, drizzling, and even when snow made its first appearance of the year, making its gradual descent to the ground. And to protect the newspapers, Rin sometimes lugged them around in a backpack rather than letting them sit carelessly in the bike's basket. Other times, if he wasn't careful enough and the newspaper was soaked as a result, he attached a little note onto it with a piece of string and delivered it apologetically. On the note, he would say sorry frantically next to his doodles of frowney faces. Although, he never bothered signing his name, as if he was too mortified by his failure to bring the paper unharmed, his panic and fear keeping him from giving his name.

Enthralled by the littlest actions Rin did, Haruka was left to admire him from a distance, endure his dear notes of apology, and watch the seasons shift progressively into winter.

Flurries and flurries and flurries of white crystalline specks dwindled to the floors of the earth. The wondrous little flakes of snow drifted to the ground, sparkling and vanishing as they melted upon contact. These tiny specks of wonder didn't miss a single spot, coating everything beneath a white blanket, consisting of seemingly perfect snow.

This fluffy substance, however, did not only reside in the sky or the frosted surface, but also in Haruka's beating heart. Entranced by that sweet paper boy, his heart pounded madly, his cheeks flushed, and his skin tingled at even the slightest mention of him. Under some spell, Haruka had been hypnotized, completely head over heels. What had first been a mild fascination and an occasional glance outside the window became routine for him, willingly waking up around six o'clock every day and gazing outside. In fact, he had grown so accustomed to that schedule, Rin hardly ever escaped his dutiful surveillance; with the few exceptions he might have caught a cold or overslept. Of course, at the time, it never occurred to Haruka how unhealthy and actually kind of creepy this type of addictive behavior was, but he couldn't help himself.

Besides, it was Rin who fed the flames of his adoration. It was Rin who chose to make Haruka's house his rest stop.

Without fail, he always came pedaling and careening along on his bike and, once he dropped the paper off on the porch, he hopped off his bike and casually reeled it to the side. Propping it onto its kickstand, he would yank the mittens off his hands, furiously rub his palms together, and huff onto them repeatedly in an attempt to gather warmth. His warm breaths would escape his lips in little clouds, fading into the frigid air. Oh, the first time Rin decided to make this rest stop a part of his routine, Haruka nearly suffered a heart attack, struck by astonishment and excitement.

Mesmerized, he continued observing and inspecting the paper boy who situated himself outside. Once Rin was satisfied with the feeling in his hands, he pulled out a small orange package from his coat pocket. At first, Haruka struggled to identify it. He could tell it was some sort of food or snack, examining the brilliant smile that graced Rin's lips as he opened the orange package.

It was a Reese's, a peanut butter cup.

Now normally, no one thought much of how someone unwrapped chocolate, but Haruka was compelled by how Rin managed to do it. For some reason, it was really captivating to watch. Despite how peculiar it might sound, he had never seen anyone eat Reese's as elegantly as Rin before. There was something about it, there was something about _him_ — the gentle delicacy in which he took the first bite was the part that always captured Haruka's attention. Chewing and nibbling on the chocolate, Rin glowed with a bright smile.

Oh, he was a glorious ray of sunshine, glimmering through the clouds and bringing light into Haruka's life. In fact, that very smile brightened every monotonous day, it kindled a pleasant flame, and it could even pull the sun from beneath the horizon. That lovable smile belonged to no one else but him, the paper boy, that darling sweetheart. Oh, how Haruka often thought about him, wondering whether or not he had ever noticed him and his constant observations, pondering over how he normally spent the rest of the day. Did he like to play outside? What were his hobbies? Did he like to swim?

Well, it was safe to say Haruka was always teeming with questions he demanded answers to, despite not even knowing his name. All he did know for certain about the nameless paper boy was that he delivered the newspaper daily, that he always stopped at his house to eat a Reese's from his presumably unlimited supply, and that his pair of blooming cherry eyes deserved to be a world wonder — its charming allure never failed to reel Haruka in.

Of course, as any sane person would've thought, Haruka wondered if he would ever speak to him. Even now, in present time, Haruka could easily remember how his chest heaved with sighs, how he struggled to catch sleep, how his insomnia became unavoidable, because that endearing paper boy was all he could think about.

Was it love?

How could such a one-sided love end happily? Oh, why would he have any feelings towards the paper boy in the first place? That would've meant Haruka was doomed to the fate of an unrequited love, never to declare his affections. Regardless of how strong and prominent his love was, it would be tragically one-sided and hopeless. Rin could never possibly return his amorous feelings. He felt no significant attraction towards Haruka, let alone know he existed.

Well, he didn't know he existed until — one Sunday morning, the paper boy was running late.

It was odd because Sunday was his payday, and Rin was almost never late on payday. As a matter of fact, even Haruka's grandmother was convinced he didn't plan on coming, seeing how late he would be. With that, she simply left to run errands and purchase groceries, telling her grandson to behave with a reserved suppleness. Despite this, Haruka stood guard at his post as he usually would, and with a bored patience he watched the snow spin in downward circles. Still expecting Rin's arrival, he anticipated the familiar squeaking of bicycle tires and the crisp sound of the frosted ground.

Surprisingly hopeful about all of this, he had a feeling Rin would come. There was a stubborn persistence within him that made him believe Rin would come. Even now, years later, Haruka didn't know what had compelled him to remain positive in that situation, or how the feeling that that day was "the day" justified anything, whatever that meant. All he knew about that day was that it was definitely surreal, hardly believable, and almost dreamlike. Why?

Because his wishes were granted — sure enough, there was a distant squealing of bicycle tires. At once, Haruka felt a hopeful sensation bubble inside of him as his heart began to race, beating fast and causing a quick thumping rhythm to hammer in his chest. Heartbeats echoed in his ears, drumming and pounding and bouncing off the walls of his ringing head.

And there he was, the paper boy, as Haruka predicted.

At first, the mere sight of Rin sent his heart pounding wildly in his chest, thrashing against his ribcage. However, the moment Haruka recognized the disheartened look on Rin's face his heart dropped.

_What's wrong?_

It gave his heartstrings a tug to look at the downcast paper boy, his regularly sunny attitude smeared behind clouds of distress. He was usually so much like a dandelion perking up from the soil, swaying in the breeze, smiling brightly at the world around it. Now it had been trampled, miserable and helpless, crushed by a force unknown. Haruka sincerely wanted that dandelion to rise once again, to soak in the warmth of the sun and bring smiles upon faces. It made him feel guilty to gaze at Rin, how he refused to raise his heavy head, how troubled he appeared.

Listening to the sad crunching of the snow as he dragged his feet, Haruka watched Rin's every hesitant step. Clearly something was wrong. Rin lacked his enthusiasm and high spirits, unbelievably gloomy without his cheerfulness to put the spring in his step. It was obvious something had happened, and as a stranger, Haruka could only wonder what it was.

Forlorn, the paper boy propped his bike onto its kickstand with careless negligence, causing it to sway and fall to the ground. With its descent, the snow jumped around it, scattering everywhere. Rin sighed heavily with a slump of his narrow shoulders.

Haruka spun his head around, expecting the sound of his grandmother's gentle footsteps to wander towards the front door but hearing nothing from the empty halls. Once he realized she wasn't home, he gazed back down at the somber child, who reluctantly approached the door.

In the spur of the moment, Haruka leapt downstairs and burst into the kitchen. Ignoring the winter air that was brittle and pinched his skin, he scrambled hastily through the house. The hardwood floors were chilly beneath his feet, but he was indifferent to his cold surroundings. Once he fetched what he needed from the kitchen, he strode to the front door. Without thinking, he immediately cracked it open the second Rin was reaching out to knock.

At that moment, Haruka felt his heart plummet and shatter into a million pieces.

Of course, this encounter was overwhelming on its own. This was the first time Haruka ever saw Rin up close, and this was the first time Rin ever actually saw Haruka, his secret admirer. And to pile onto the tension of this phenomenal moment, this wasn't just any first meeting. Quite a spectacle awaited Haruka because across from him — Rin was crying.

Aside from the flustered expression on the paper boy's face, framed by lovely magenta hair, the rosiness of his cheeks burned aflame, tears slithering down his cheeks. His vermilion eyes were glossy beneath layers of woeful tears, illuminating the gorgeous cerise color in them. And yet, in that one instant, Rin's pretty little eyes met Haruka's own, _mingling_ with them by pure chance, and some buoyant sensation surfaced between them. Of course, then the furious blush in Rin's cheeks blazed into deeper shades of red. That was when Haruka decided how much more captivating he was up close, compared to his distant view from upstairs.

Completely silent, Haruka felt his heart leaping out of his chest, hurdling against his confining ribcage, making his heart rate skyrocket. In fact, his breaths felt suppressed by the limited space in his chest. And with the strain of the taut air lingering between them, Haruka found it difficult to breathe.

Skittish and ruffled, Rin suddenly recoiled and broke from Haruka's gaze. Gathering his wits and somewhat regaining his composure, Rin shot him a look of confusion and anger. Then he barked at him, and his voice cracked as the tears streamed down his face. "W-who are you?"

Haruka paused before stepping towards him, curiosity and wonder expressed on his face. Again, the eager lump in his chest soared. He felt it within himself, his persistent heart propelled itself forward, hurtling itself against his chest and deafening him with its rapid pace. Haruka only hoped the baffled paper boy couldn't hear the dramatic pace of his heart. Pounding, walloping, hammering loudly against his eardrums, it screamed his excitement in accelerating beats. As he narrowed the distance between them and stepped forward, he saw Rin shrink.

"H-hey!" Alarmed and startled, Rin jumped with surprise and momentarily forgot about his anguish. With a hint of concern, he shouted and pointed at their feet. "Hey, watch where you're stepping! You're not wearing any shoes!"

Finally responding to Rin's outbursts, Haruka casually followed his gaze and realized why he was so frantic. "Oh, you mean this. That's okay."

"Your feet don't look okay." Sheepish yet defiant, Rin looked at him skeptically, wiping at his teary eyes. "See, look at them, they're all red!"

"Snow is just frozen water." Haruka shrugged.

His thin brows furrowed, Rin seemed unconvinced.

"That's what my grandma told me." Aloof, he looked down at his numbing toes and wiggled them around. "And I like water, even if it's frozen, so it's okay."

Haruka looked up and waited for some response from the nameless paper boy, who struggled to find words. He was pursing his lips anxiously, and the coat of glazed varnish returned in his eyes, that glassy look of tears. Haruka could see the twinkling polish in his eyes, as if he were about to cry.

_What's wrong?_

Suddenly Rin burst into tears, hiccupping and choking on his sobs. Dried lines left streaks on his flushed cheeks, while massive beads of tears gathered at his long eyelashes. Blubbering and sniveling, he gasped helplessly whenever he tried to open his mouth. Although, he wasn't noisy about it; he didn't howl, wail, or bawl pathetically. Instead, he whimpered feebly to himself, as if he were desperate not to expose this vulnerable side of his, despairing because his weaknesses existed, miserable because he was defenseless. And perhaps that made his weary cries sound even more tragic. Bewildered and thrown totally off guard by this display, Haruka simply stood there in a stunned daze, watching Rin swipe at his eyes and fumble with the plaid scarf around his neck.

Not a moment later, he took a step forward and grabbed Rin's freezing hands, prying them away from his red face. Immediately, Haruka felt a comfortable heat radiate from the sniffling paper boy. "You know what else she told me?"

Much to Rin's chagrin, only incomprehensible sobs escaped his lips, shaking his head. As his vivid cherry eyes shed more tears, his bottom lip quivered. He was a pitiful sight, mumbling incoherent noises and gulping in a desperate attempt to swallow the lump in his throat. It was upsetting. Haruka tightened his grip around Rin's trembling hands.

"She told me that the sadder you are, the saltier your tears."

For a moment, Rin's stifled weeping came to a halt, too embarrassed and confused to pull away from Haruka's grasp. That was when Haruka touched the flustered face across from him, gently caressing and rubbing a thumb across his cheek. As he wiped away the tears, Rin's soft hair brushed against his hand, beautifully magenta. Strands of that rose-colored hair glided along the borders of Rin's face, like curtains of silk ruby drawn aside to reveal a beautiful view.

Enamored, Haruka withdrew his hand and licked his thumb, pressing his lips thoughtfully. "You're pretty sad, aren't you?"

Rin blinked.

"Your tears are really salty." Staring wistfully at Rin's hands, Haruka seized them and squeezed tightly. From the moment he grabbed them, he knew they were cold and calloused, quivering uncontrollably in his grasp. Such unloved hands indicated anxiety and loneliness, and Haruka would never want this adorable paper boy to suffer that kind of misery. Smitten, he brought those trembling hands up to his mouth and kissed them, the cold surface of Rin's frozen skin meeting his lips. "Don't be sad anymore."

Haruka showered those shaking hands with a bombardment of kisses. Infatuated, he landed kisses on those slender fingers, on those roughened palms, and on the back of his hands, like a debonair gentleman.

Casually he glanced in Rin's direction, and fortunately, the water works stopped. Instead, those sun-kissed cheeks flared, the blistering heat of timidity engulfing his cheeks. With each bated breath, white puffs and little clouds escaped Rin's lips, vanishing into thin air. Bashfully anxious, he tried not to catch Haruka's unyielding gaze, desperately hoping he would release him before his cheeks could burn any brighter. However, the fire still persisted to blaze, staining his entire visage in humiliating reds.

"Oh, I just remembered. Here, will this make you happy?" Haruka reached one hand into his pocket. Pulling out a small orange package he snatched from the kitchen earlier, he opened Rin's trembling hands and placed a Reese's in them. "You like Reese's, don't you?"

In response, the sheepish paper boy blinked, stammered, and failed to form words. Embarrassed, he sunk behind his scarf and refused to make eye contact, feeling the vast flames of red spread across his cheeks.

"You don't have to give anything back. Just don't be sad anymore."

Judging by his reaction, Haruka could tell Rin had entered some distress-induced stupor. Swallowed by his emotions, the blush consumed Rin's cherubic face. At the mere sight, Haruka's aggressive heart propelled itself against his chest once again, thrown in a lovesick panic. The echoes of those relentless punches hummed in his ears, leaving a buzz that vibrated from the clamor of his heart.

"You're usually really happy, so if you're sad, then everyone will be sad. You should smile instead." He paused and murmured quietly, "I like it when you smile."

Affectionate and doting, the tension between them settled, establishing silence as well as a long pause. They spent quite some time huddled together like that, until Rin exploded into a million shades of red and pushed him away, totally hysterical about the current situation. Within seconds, the embarrassed paper boy sprinted to his bike, hastily jumped on, and frantically darted from the scene, his bicycle tires furiously squealing away. In a daze, Haruka lingered there for a moment longer as his numb feet began to sting painfully. He was still registering what just happened between him and that nameless paper boy, staring mindlessly in the direction he fled and committing his adorable face to memory.

Well, long story short, Rin never delivered the newspaper ever since. In fact, it seemed as though he had completely vanished from existence after that incident, not making any noticeable appearances around his house or even the whole neighborhood.

Crestfallen about this turn of events, Haruka figured he had scarred Rin for life, scaring him into quitting his job and driving him away forever. Once, his grandmother mentioned Rin out of curiosity one morning, perhaps a week after his mysterious disappearance and the newspaper stopped arriving. She pondered over the possibilities and eventually came to the conclusion that he must have been on vacation with his family. Regardless, her hopeful reasoning failed to sway Haruka, who was further disheartened by how unknown he was — they didn't even know each other's names.

He remained an enigma until the following year, which was when he showed up in his classroom as a transfer student.

In any case, that was a long time ago, years ago even. Sometimes Haruka wondered if that had ever even happened, since Rin never seemed to have any recollection of it, even when he transferred into his school and met him all over again. Still, it was heartwarming, and even the thought of such a memory sent his heart drumming away in his chest. After all, it was because of that reminiscent experience that Reese's were elegant to him, that the newspaper caused butterflies to emerge in his stomach, and that winter wasn't such a horrible season, even if he couldn't swim outside. He could only associate them with the memory of that paper boy.

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_The End_

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**Side Notes:**

**-** This is my first _Free! Iwatobi Swim Club_ fanfic! Whoa, I never would've thought that _I_ would write a fanfic for this series, _me_, of all people! This is crazy, gosh, what am I doing, someone knock some sense into me. I didn't even meet my own deadlines, what the heck. Well, I never meet my own deadlines, but still!

**- **Just a little bit of fluff for the underappreciated Haruka/Rin couple! Yes, you read it right, my beloved readers. It's not Rin/Haruka. Fortunately for some of you, that might not make any difference, and the reading experience is the same, but for me, that draws the line. It distinguishes the two and determines which one is dominating and vice versa.

**-** You know, I was recently introduced to the underground Makoto/Rin pairing, and I was immediately drawn to it — hook, line, and sinker! Because of that, I did contemplate over whether Haruka or Makoto should narrate and fall for Rin. Unfortunately, I was already past the half-way point with Haruka, so I couldn't change it. I would've changed it in a heartbeat, though.

**-** I heard somewhere that Rin doesn't like sweet things. Is that true?

**-** Not much dialogue, but it can't be helped! I do realize my writing style will probably be boring and verbose to many of you, which will repel a good number of readers, but whoever actually had the patience to read it, thank you! I really appreciate it, as any author would. My toiling and slaving had not been in vain, thanks to you!

**-** _Reviews?_ I would love to hear your opinions! I have no intention to request too much of you, my beloved readers, but allow me to overcome my mistakes with your constructive criticism, supporting me with your kindest words of advice and assistance.

**-** I'll be honest with you guys. I'm afraid, furious, and aggravated with the production of _Free! Iwatobi Swim Club_ and its enormous fan base, yet at the same time pleased and ecstatic. I have very conflicted feelings towards it, you see, because I am not a huge fan of "makoharu" or "rinharu" — I'm actually repulsed by them — but I still adore the individual characters. I don't want to make mountains of molehills, but I can't help but get the feeling that the love for "makoharu" and "rinharu" is glorified and blown out of proportion. What happens as a result of that is that the audience overshadows the plot, and the other dynamic characters are neglected, outshined, and they receive much less recognition in comparison. I don't want to make generalizations or be the cause of some heated debate, since this is just my personal opinion, but I hope there are others who understand. It's a shame that the attention for the whole series is directed primarily to "makoharu" and "rinharu," distracted by their appeal and fan service.

**-** Any questions, comments, or concerns? Drop a review! I might not respond to you personally, but know that I read each and every one! I take everyone's opinions into dearest consideration! In fact, your support is what inspires me! I run on your words — it's the water that quenches my thirsty motivation.


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